4/18/05 - 4/24/05

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— Critical darling Adam Guettel makes his Broadway debut with The Light in the Piazza, the new musical that opens at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre at Lincoln Center. Guettel provided the music and lyrics to Craig Lucas' book, which tells the story of a mother and daughter vacationing in Italy. Victoria Clark and Kelli O'Hara star.

— And they said it wouldn't last! Disney's stage adaptation of Beauty and the Beast turns 11 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. Brooke Tansley and Steve Blanchard current star as the mismatched lovebirds.

— LaChanze, Alison Fraser, Michael McElroy, Jai Rodriguez, Lorraine Bracco and Mario Cantone appear at Playwrights Horizons' annual High Standards gala benefit at Gotham Hall. The evening will honor HBO chairman and CEO Chris Albrecht and Showtime chairman and CEO Matthew C. Blank.

— Second Stage Theatre welcomes back Annabelle Gurwitch, who was dropped from Woody Allen's Writer's Block, and a line-up of fired friends for Fired!. Stars like Emily Bergl, Illeana Douglas and Tonya Pinkins will appear to share priceless pink slip memories.

— Dennis Boutsikaris and Jill Eikenberry open in A Picasso at Manhattan Theatre Club's Stage II. Jeffrey Hatcher's play is set during the German occupation of Paris and imagines a confrontation between the famed painter and a mysterious interrogator. John Tillinger directs.

— Dan Israely's new comedy Orgasms, which opens at the Soho Playhouse, attempts to open up the dialogue between the sexes by heading right back to the days of Adam and Eve. With Ed Asner as the voice of God, this play arrives in New York after hit regional mountings.

— An all-star line-up comes together for Stars in the Sky, benefiting Hole in the Wall Camps, Paul Newman's organization that provides a recreational and therapeutic camping experience for children facing serious illnesses and life-threatening conditions. Expected to join Newman at the Avery Fisher Hall gala are Paul McCartney, Julia Roberts, Robin Williams, Tony Bennett and Mary J. Blige.

— Dianne Wiest makes a welcome return to the New York stage in Kathleen Tolan's Memory House, starting previews at Playwrights Horizons. Set on New Year's Eve, Wiest plays a devoted mom who bakes a pie while her daughter (newcomer Natalia Zvereva) struggles to write her college entrance essay. David Esbjornson directs.

— Let It Rip! An Evening of Song finds funny gal Ana Gasteyer taking to the stage of Joe's Pub. Will she provide a taste of her Elphaba in the upcoming Chicago mounting of Wicked? Sing "The Stuff," her breakout song from the Showtime film of Reefer Madness? Imitate Celine Dion?! Good questions. To be safe, we wouldn't miss this for the world.